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Alumni Updates

Alumni Update

2010s

  • Lance Iunker (POLS ’15) — I was wounded in Iraq in 2007. I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Cal Poly using my G.I. Bill. The Institute for Advanced Technology and Public Policy at Cal Poly hired me as a project director, where I created a veterans project for the institute called Operation Headstrong. Learn more about the project at operationheadstrong.com. Learn more about the institute at iatpp.calpoly.edu.

  • Cody Pajunen (POLS ’15) — I joined the U.S. Coast Guard and began basic training in Cape May, N.J., in December 2015. I’m not sure where I will be sent afterward, but I will try to join the maritime law enforcement community. While waiting to leave, I worked with an organization that sponsors Syrian refugees and Syrian schools. 

  • Chris Connell (POLS ’14) — I am in my second year at the USC Gould School of Law. I have a summer associate position lined up for the coming summer at Ropes and Gray LLP in San Francisco. 
     
  • Joe Vacovsky (POLS ’13) — I work at MindBody as a staff software engineer and have been at the company just under three years. 
     
  • Candice Custodio (POLS ’11) — I was recently married in Paso Robles to alumnus (and my college sweetheart) Ruben Custodio (Business Communication, ’11). I’m an account manager at Edmunds.com and am working to become a full member of the Hollywood Rotary club. 
     
  • Maili Winther (MPP ’11) — In 2013, I accepted a position with The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. I work as a grants associate in the School of Medicine’s Office of Research Administration. I recently attended the launch party for Cal Poly’s Washington, D.C., alumni chapter and had a great time. 
     

2000s 

  • Hans Poschman (MPP ‘09) — Currently I work at the Institute for Advanced Technology and Public Policy at Cal Poly as the fellowship and programs director. This year we launched our open government platform DigitalDemocracy.org, where a user can search by bill, speaker, hearing or keyword and pull up exact moments in videos and watch that moment, or share it out on social media. Additionally, the site provides access to information on lobbyists, campaign finance, bequested payments and gifts. 

  • Edmond Woo (MPP ’08) — Since I graduated, I’ve been working as an intelligence specialist with one of the ABC agencies of the U.S. government. The work I do primarily includes analytical work related to counter-drugs and high-value targets. I also previously dabbled in Internet investigations and counter-terrorism cases. I truly think the education I received from Cal Poly helped me obtain this kind of work and has surely benefited my analytical thinking and work habits. The degree program opened my eyes to the variety of work available to someone in this degree field. Although I already knew the type of field I wanted to enter prior to enrolling, I am sure there were tons of opportunities elsewhere for someone with my qualifications.
     

1990s 

  • Kelley Lashley (POLS ’95) — I graduated Santa Clara Law School in 1999. I now co-own a law firm with offices in Pasadena and Westlake Village. We specialize in estate planning, administration and tax. I am a pro bono settlement officer for the Los Angeles County Superior Court and serve on the Executive Committee of the board of directors for Five Acres, a nonprofit that provides adoption and foster care services for the greater Los Angeles area. I also serve on the Cal Poly Athletic Director’s Advisory Council, chair the Cal Poly Varsity Club board of directors and serve on the Cal Poly Alumni Association board of directors as director of athletics. I am married to wrestling alumnus Dan Lashley (Kinesiology, ’96). We have two kids and live in Simi Valley, Calif. 

  • Chris Trapani (POLS ’90) — I am the founder and CEO of Sereno Group. My daughter, Gabi Trapani, is a second year business major at Cal Poly (my wife is Kirsten Trapani (Nutritional Science, ’91)). I have been honored to have been engaged in supporting Cal Poly’s vision by joining the President’s Council of Advisors. My business, Sereno Group, was most recently honored as the 31st most Charitable Corporate Giver (in Silicon Valley) by the Silicon Valley Business Journal. 

1980s 

  • Robert Burnett (POLS '80) — I have been employed for the last 34 years with Citizens Business Bank in Arcadia, Calif., as vice president service manager. I have been married to Rosemary for 13 years. We have two daughters, Amanda, 24, and Paige, 22. After 34 years of continuous service, I retired this past June with the rank of battalion chief from the Sierra Madre Fire Department. We celebrated with a trip to Maui. I joined the Sierra Madre Kiwanis Club this past year, and I will be starting a two-year term as a board member of the Sierra Madre Creative Arts Group, a nonprofit philanthropic organization dedicated to bettering the lives of local youth. 

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